Thankfully thankful

As I sit here relaxing with my wonderful husband I am blown away by how much The Lord has done for me! I am blessed :)

This year I graduated college, married the man of my prayers, gained a wonderful new family, saw my husband baptized (Praise The Lord), and was hired as a para pro to work with some amazing kiddos! My cup over floweth and so do my tear ducts... every time I start to thank God I can't even keep it together. That's my love language...unintelligible mumble through a flood of tears!

I hate it that sometimes I get caught up in the details of I would like to make more money, I wish school didn't start so early in the morning, I wish we weren't living in my parents ( I'm thankful that we have a place to live!), I wish everything thing in the world weren't so expensive, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, and I'm sure tons more things because really I'm trying to work on it, but sometimes I complain TOO much! I am trying to keep things in perspective look at the awesome works that God has done in my life I'll say it again (shouting in my head) I. AM. BLESSED.

Most of all number one thing I am thankful for my Savior and His eternal blessings :)
Thank you Jesus!

I may not have a classroom, but I have my own students!!!

 Bye bye Buffalo's shirts...  

hello again teacher clothes!!! 

I filled out paperwork today and I officially begin my new job as a special ed. para pro tomorrow! I am beyond excited :)

The Lord has definitely blessed me and I am so thankful. I am thrilled to be back in a class and surrounded by children. I am home! I think that this job is going to be a great fit for me and I will get to work with some wonderful kiddos. 

I got my schedule today and I am with kindergarten, first, and second grade and it looks like it is going to be a lot of fun! I cannot wait to wake up at the crack of dawn again and race the sun to school. I cannot wait to have to deal with runny noses and untied shoes. I cannot wait to start this journey! 

It was hard for me step out on faith, but I was so richly rewarded! I am reminded what miracles can come from faith the size of a mustard seed. The Lord asked so little of me and yet I fought it and was so worried to follow His lead. I took that one step and quit my job and He took over from there. If I could just get out of my head and follow Him with my whole heart more often life would be so much easier! Well, they say you learn as you go and my walk with God is proof of that for sure. I am so thankful that He takes care of me and provides for me in ways that I don't even realize. 

Please keep us in your prayers as I jump into this exciting adventure. I just know this is going to be great!

Stepping out in faith to follow my Lord

A lot has happened in a very short time so lets catch up...

Well first of all remember that job that  I am thankful for, but tired of well I quit it. Frankly I was afraid to quit because what if I could get anything else, what if we couldn't make enough money, and what if we had to live with my parents forever.  Jake and I had prayed about it and prayed about it and Tuesday night we decided that I just needed to quit. We talked about it more and decided that it would not take that many days of subbing (I was in the process of getting on several sub lists) for us to be ok money-wise because we really are not spending very much right now.  We also decided that it would help me to get a teaching job so it was worth it.  We were about to go to sleep and I told him that I had a lot of big things I needed to pray about and I felt like I needed to get down and pray one more time. He prayed with me and then I just felt at peace and I knew this was what God wanted me to do.

Wednesday morning I headed to work and I prayed all the way there "God, just let this be right. Let me follow you. Let them take it well. Let me know this is right." Then I added in "God let me tell them why let me be proud to follow you." I went in to work I found my boss and I told him we needed to talk. We went to the front of the restaurant and I started off strong I said I prayed about it and I need to quit. I was proud of myself I wish I had said more about it, but at least I put it out there. Then I told him about the subbing and that I needed to do that to be able to get a teaching job. They have been very good to me so I offered to finish out that week and this week.

Friday night Jake texted me at work and said I had a message at home to set up an interview for a special ed. teaching position! Saturday we went to see my little cousin's baseball game and I saw that I had a voice mail on my cell phone. I checked and it was a message to set up an interview for a para pro job! This morning I called and set up both of the interviews for tomorrow. Then I went to work and while I was there I got a call to set up another interview for a special ed para pro position tomorrow!

I am just amazed! I told my mom when I quit that I was stepping out on faith and that God had a plan and He would provide for us. I meant through being able to substitute and work the same schedule as Jake. I underestimated Him again!!! I don't know if any of these positions will work out, but I am hopeful and either way I know that my God is capable of all things and I will follow His lead. He will provide :)

Who knew apple butter would be this difficult???

#1 I thought that apple picking would be a cute fun little married couple thing to do...wrong!
       We had fun in the end, but seriously I did not think this through. We went by my great uncle's house after church because he had said we could pick some of his apples. Luckily I remembered to ask him to turn off the electric fence (the only smart thing I did all day pretty much). Jake decided to change clothes I decided to go apple picking in my floor length dress...dumb...cute,but really dumb! I did not even consider how tall apple trees are and how short I am. Pretty much I held the bucket. I couldn't even move around the much to follow Jake with the bucket because there were tons of yellow jackets and wasps swarming around the fallen fruit. After Jake had picked all of the good apples that we could reach he said that he would need me to get on his shoulders to get some of the higher ones that he wanted...remember that long cute dress...Dumb! I said that maybe I could reach it if I just got on his back not his shoulders. We tried that method, but it put us at just about the same height. So finally I looked around to make sure nobody could see us hiked up my long dress and let him lift me on his shoulders. I thought I was doing great grabbing from one limb to another, but   I still couldn't reach the apple that he wanted. According to Jake I was not doing so great after maybe 2 minutes of me flailing around he had to put me down. He said he could barely hold on to me because I wouldn't stop squirming. We ended up working together and I held down a limb so that he could grab the apples off of it. We ended up with about half of a 5 gallon bucket full of apples.

#2 We should have looked at the recipe to see how many apples we needed...
     It called for 15, we had more than 30! It worked out though because we picked them a few days before I was ready to make the apple butter so a few had spoiled.

#3 I definitely underestimated how long it would take me to peel, core, and cut this plethora of apples.
     Well  I remembered having a three in one apple peeler, corer, and slicer that I had used once before. Apparently one use was not enough for us to keep it so it had long since traveled to the land of Goodwill. After doing all of this by hand for over two hours I would I've my right arm to have the three-in-one back and I now consider it to be the greatest invention man has ever created!

#4 I have to learn to read the directions all the way through before I start a project!
     I read cook the apples on high for two hours and then pinned the recipe. I must have missed the next step, which is cook on low for 6-8 hours and according to my Aunt Patsy I should really cook it 10 more hours. I didn't start cooking until 3.

To sum things up I will now be canning apple butter sometime between midnight and 3 AM! This apple better be amazing. In other news I got finger printed today to start subbing so yay! That was an adventure all it's own. I couldn't find my new social security card this morning. Luckily I thought my appointment was thirty minutes earlier than it was because when I got their I realized I had left the cash to pay for it on the coffee table and didn't have enough with me. I walked to the nearest bank...turns out they closed that bank. I walked back to my car drove to the next bank and had to pay a fee for using it because I don't bank there. Then I tried to hurry back to the board of education and found out that all of the roads back to it were closed for construction...great! Then  I passed the public parking lot because i wanted to get closer so I wouldn't have to run so far to get back to the office. All of the parking lots around the education building threaten towing and say that all of the spots are reserved even though only maybe half of them are being used. The two visitor spots were obviously old and outdated because they were blocked traffic. I parked illegally and prayed that nobody would find my car before I could get back.  I made it back and the appointment took maybe five minutes I apologized for being late and the lady then informed me that I was actually on time. I should be in the system by next week and I'm praying that the Lord will let me the right people and make the right connections to maybe get my own classroom by next year. At the same time though I think why I am I praying for such small things my God is greater than that and His plans are always perfect so I trust that I will meet whoever I am supposed to and whether I have a classroom in a month or if it takes ten years it will be perfect. It may not be the perfect class as in it wont have it's own issues, but it will be where I am meant to be. Thank you Lord!

Reason for writing

Don't get me wrong I am very thankful for the job that I have...but it is far from the job that I want. I have a degree and certificate and heart to teach. I know beyond the shadow of a doubt that teaching is what I am meant to do. I know that my Lord will provide the perfect opportunity for me to use the skills that He gave me so for now I wait. Meaning now I have to practice patience...not my favorite thing. Right now I waitress (which again I am very thankful for), I apply for positions when they come open, and I will hopefully start substitute teaching soon. Mainly I pray...often! I know that in the end it will all work out so I'm trying to do my part and I know He will do His when the time is right.